Alexis Bachelot

Hawaii catholic missionary

Alexis Bachelot, SS.CC., (born Jean-Augustin Bachelot; 22 February 1796 – 5 December 1837) was a Catholic priest best known for his tenure as the first Prefect Apostolic of the Sandwich Islands.

In that role, he led the first permanent Catholic mission to the Kingdom of Hawaii.Bachelot was raised in France, where he attended the Irish College in Paris, and was ordained a priest in 1820.

He led the first Catholic mission to Hawaii, arriving in 1827.Although he had expected the approval of then Hawaiian King Kamehameha II, he learned upon arrival that Kamehameha II had died and a new government that was hostile towards Catholic missionaries had been installed.

Bachelot, however, was able to convert a small group of Hawaiians and quietly minister to them for four years before being deported in 1831 on the orders of Kaʻahumanu, the Kuhina Nui (a position similar to queen regent) of Hawaii.

Bachelot then traveled to California, where he served as an assistant minister while pastoring and teaching.In 1837, having learned of Queen Kaʻahumanu's death and King Kamehameha III's willingness to allow Catholic priests on the island, Bachelot returned to Hawaii, intending to continue his missionary work.

However, by Bachelot's arrival, Kamehameha III had again changed his mind and Bachelot was removed from the island and confined to a ship for several months.

He was freed only after the French and British navies imposed a naval blockade on the Honolulu harbor.Although he was later able to secure passage on a ship to Micronesia, he died en route and was buried on an islet near Pohnpei.

His treatment in Hawaii prompted the government of France to dispatch a frigate to the island; the resulting intervention is known as the French Incident and led to the emancipation of Catholics in Hawaii.